The Test
by strawberrykyo
Summary: The princess of Azvil is nearly to be wed, and this doesn't please her at all. But when she meets a certain orange haired exknight, everything changes. KyousukeMiki This is my very first fic here so please be gentle! R&R!


_A/N: _This is my very first fanfic, that's why I could say it's very much far from perfect. Either way, I'm hoping that you readers will enjoy reading this. Oh, and before I forget, I added some of my original characters in this fic, just to add some twists ! Please, R&R!

hugs n' kisses,

strawberrykyo aka strawberry-chan

_Disclaimer: _I do not own Striker, but I do own Aya, Rhaekonn, Ran, Kyohei, Gaikoku and Sylvia.

_Summary: _The princess of Azvil is nearly to be wed… and this thing doesn't please her at all. But after she meets a certain orange haired ex-knight, everything changes…

_**The Test**_

Chapter one: The Distressed Princess

The sun lay beside the white, fluffy clouds as its long, sunny rays reached through the large, wide opened window of her room. The flowers danced with the cool breeze; their beautiful colors shining brightly over the fields. There were a lot of tall and green trees that covered the whole forest.

She sat on her big and soft bed, staring blankly on the skies. She had been there for like hours ago. There was nothing nice to do- she felt so bored. Even though she lived in a huge palace as the kingdom's one and only princess, the young lady couldn't help but sigh and be filled with boredom.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Princess…" the tall, bald soldier said politely as he knocked once more. "Can I come in?"

"Esaka," she muttered. "Come in."

The door was slowly opened and Gen. Esaka entered the room. He stood there before her, bowing his head and placing his right hand over his left chest as a sign of respect.

"My lady, your mother, the queen, wants to see you."

"Mother? Oh, I see…" she remained silent for a while. "Esaka, please tell mom I'll be there in a minute."

"As you wish, ma'am." With that, he left the room.

The princess sighed heavily, resting her head on one of her pillows. "I'm sure this is gonna be all about that stupid wedding." She mumbled; a small frown forming on her face.

After a while the princess then proceeded to the royal chamber, where her mother, the queen's said to be. Her majesty sat on her chair while some maids and guards stood before her.

Upon reaching the royal chamber…

"Ah, my dear princess!" Queen Kaori greeted her as she stood up and rushed to meet her precious one.

"If we're only going to talk about the stupid wedding then I'd rather not listen." She told her frankly.

The queen was surprised, "But, dear, now that your father, the late king is gone, you have to find a husband. I tell you, this is for the good of the whole kingdom of Azvil. You do know for sure that I am already a widow myself, and sooner or later I'm going to have to step down and pass the throne to you and to your future husband."

Miki pouted, "But, mom…"

"Those are the rules, my princess. Rules are meant to be followed." She placed a hand over her daughter's shoulders. "Have I not explained this to you a lot of times already?"

There was a sudden silence as Miki averted her golden brown eyes away from her mother.

Marrying- was not yet one of the things she's added on her 'to do' list on the time she finally 'matures.' Besides, she hasn't found the right guy for her to marry.

"Onegai, Miki-chan," the queen looked at her with transparent eyes. "For Azvil, for me," she paused, lowering her head as her gaze met the marble floors of the castle, "…and for your father."

Miki felt a sudden pang right through her heart as soon as she heard her mother say the words 'for your father.' The princess herself had always been aware of this responsibility that she will soon take hold of. If she was to do this for her father, she wanted to do it wholeheartedly- with no trace of guilt and her having no second thoughts. But she was obviously not ready. Not yet. Al least, for now…

"_Rules aren't made to be followed, they're meant to be BROKENED!" _With that, she ran hurriedly outside the castle and into the garden, bursting in tears.

"Princess!"

"Miki!" Queen Kaori gasped.

"Poor princess…" the maids whispered before they went back to their works. Queen Kaori sighed and went back to her seat. _"What am I supposed to do? How can I ever convince her to do it…? Oh, Seisuke…if only you were here with me right now…then things wouldn't be this hard. Please, tell me what I should do. Please, help me…"_

Meanwhile, a beautiful young lady stood behind the castle walls, a serious look was pasted on her face. She stood there as she watched the whole thing happen quietly; observing every move. She, too, was worried about the princess. She was about to go after Miki when her ever-loyal pet half troll, half human tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Ne, Aya-sama, I'm hungry already. Can we eat now? Please?" He flashed his pair of cute puppy eyes.

"Gaikoku, you are inside the castle. You may not eat any meal right now, that is, at least before lunchtime comes, okay?" she patted her friendly pet on the head.

Gaikoku pouted, "Mou, I was hopin' I'd be able to snag some yummy snacks today…"

"Oi, Aya! What're you guys doin' here?" said a tall, black haired guy in a dark green armor and silver-white suit.

"It's Kyohei!" Gaikoku grinned at him. "Hey, have you guys seen Rhaekonn? He promised to have a sparring with me today."

"I think I saw him earlier inside his room. I believe he was busy sharpening his sword. Now, if you don't mind, I have to go look after the princess." She gave him one last look before she left and proceeded to the garden.

"Oh, father, how can I even face you? I'm too ashamed to tell you that…that…"her voice was shaking for her eyes were very much wet with tears. "…that I- I'm…too…" She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see who it was, wiping her tears away. "Please, your highness. Cheer up." Aya said in a calm and gentle tone. "Aya-san…" There was a second of silence before she threw herself up to her friend and locked her in a tight hug. She cried once more, slowly falling to her knees. "You just don't know how hard this thing is for me! I don't want to make my father sad just because of this stupid wedding! I'm obliged to do something I don't want when in fact I know I've already vowed to my father that I will be doing this for him!"

"Miki-san…"

"Oh, Aya! What am I supposed to do?"

"Princess… onegai, I'm sure things will work out better if you just keep a smile on your face and never give up." She told her reassuringly. "Aya-san…" "I understand that you are not yet ready, but I do believe that her majesty will understand that. You mustn't live together under the same room with someone you don't love now, do you?"

"But I told you I-"

Aya shook her head and looked at Miki in the eye. "You don't say 'I don't' or 'I'm not'; instead, say 'I must' and 'I will!'. Alright?"

A small smile curled on the princess' lips and she finally stopped crying. A sparkle of happiness was once again, seen in the reflection of her golden brown eyes. She released her friend from her arms; now taking her bare hands with hers. "Arigato, Aya-san. You know how I can depend on you on times like this! You're my great friend!"

Aya's cheeks flushed a slight pink and was touched with what her majesty, the princess said. She was so happy to be one of the princess' closest friends. She was such a very nice, sweet and caring person- one of the best persons she knew so well. "Princess…"

"Drop the formalities, Aya! You know you can just address me by my name!" she poked her dear friend's cheek playfully. "Alright, Prince- I mean, Miki,"

Miki giggled a little before she asked, "Yes, why?"

"Let's go back to the castle now. I bet everyone there's getting worried and looking for you."

"Yeah, I'm starting to hear voices calling out my name. I guess we really should be heading back now!"

The two close friends made their way back to the castle while they told stories with each other.

_Vocabulary:_

Onegai- please

'San'- Honorable; Japanese for Ms. or Mr.

'sama'- Honorable; is used to address a master or someone of higher rank like a teacher or mentor.

'Mou'- an expression, meaning 'darn' or 'geeze…'

_A/N: _So there! I've finished the first chapter of this story! The first chapter only describes the way Miki feels about the wedding. I know it's kind of short, but I promise I'll add more later. Please, please, tell me what you think about the story! I'd be glad to hear from you readers and if you will review my story, I'll be more inspired to continue it!

Thanks in advance! And, see ya guys in the next chap.! -

hugs 'n kisses,

strawberrykyo aka strawberry-chan -


End file.
